Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
The aesthetics of gaming machines are also important for attracting players and improving the overall appearance of machines. Further, there is also a continued need for easing access to internal components of gaming machines to expedite the process of maintenance and troubleshooting. Therefore, there is a continuing need for improving gaming machines to be visually appealing, in addition to providing features making the machines easy to maintain using components that maintain structural integrity.